


Self-portrait

by mistressminako



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: M/M, Slice of Life, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25134649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistressminako/pseuds/mistressminako
Summary: How Thrawn sees himself in the Empire, and how he is seen by others. A series of short interludes.
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	Self-portrait

“Hold on, I need the head.” Eli said. 

“Head?” Thrawn inclined his own head slightly, and turned his luminescent gaze. _“Ushi?”_

“Huh? Oh!” Eli flushed. That must be Chiss. Eli shook his head. “Nah, “head” is slang for the toilet; you know. As in ‘bulkhead’.” Eli explained quickly, in Sy Bisti. 

Thrawn made a noncommittal noise and arched an eyebrow. Switching back to Basic, “Please explain what that activity has to do with the bulkhead.”

Eli’s flush deepened. “You know. You face the bulkhead. To. Do your business? So hitting the bulkhead. You know.” He rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. 

“Ah…” Thrawn’s tone was hesitant. “Then we shall proceed to the ‘head’.”

“Uh, sure.” Eli stuffed his hands into his pockets. The cadet uniforms were more comfortable than the Navy’s duty uniforms. He’d miss having pants with deep pockets. He tapped his datapad to bring up the building map. “Left at the next hallway.” 

Thrawn turned at the corner...when had he fallen into step behind the Chiss? They were both cadets...despite Thrawn’s previous years of military service with his own people. Just how old was Thrawn, anyway? His face was smooth and youthful. Maybe Chiss aged differently?

Shaking himself out of his brief meandering, Eli was struck by the sudden distinct impression that he was following one of his older brothers. He jogged to Thrawn’s side. Thrawn was staring at his own datapad. Thumbing through...paintings. 

“D’ya like art?” Eli winced at the Wild Space twang in his voice. He’d have to watch that here. 

“I study the art of war...” Thrawn thumbed through the images, obviously distracted. 

Okay. Weird. 

“Maybe while we’re here, we could visit the museum?” Eli said. 

“That would be most informative, Cadet Vanto.” The accent Thrawn had only a couple weeks ago had receded with his increased use of Basic. He sounded almost Core World now, save for an oddly-stressed syllable now and again.

“It’s a date!” Eli grinned. Thrawn stared at him. 

“An. Idiom?” Thrawn said. Eli could hear the punctuation. He flushed again, hoping his dark skin tone was hiding the worst of it. 

“Yeah… don’t fret about it.” They approached the bathrooms.

“Eli?” Thrawn’s voice was even softer this time. Eli belatedly realized Thrawn had come to a halt a few paces behind him. 

“Yessir?” Eli winced again. 

Thrawn was silent a moment. Studying something. “Why are there two sets of doors?”

“What?” Eli looked back at the perfectly ordinary bathroom doors. “Whaddya mean?”

“What is the purpose of the humanoid glyph with a triangular body?”

“OH!” Eli exclaimed, a bit too loudly, startling a passing cadet. “Uh. That’s the ladies’ head, Thrawn.”

“Ah…” That small exhale of breath again. “Is that not...inefficient?”

“What?” Eli stuttered dumbly, hunching his shoulders a little to hide his embarrassment. “Guess Chiss don’t bother with separate bathrooms?”

“We do not.” A pregnant pause followed. “Are you not allowed to use either facility?”

“Of course not!” Eli laughed. “Bein’ caught in the ladies’ room is grounds for a sexual assault charge!”

“I see,” Thrawn’s eyes narrowed and the skin peaked between his prominent brows. “Is the reverse also true?”

“I guess. Though I don’t know why a lady’d wanna hang out in a men’s room.”

“I assume, to perform the same activity as any being does.”

“Yeah. I guess so. Anyway I gotta piss. You comin’?”

“No. I will wait here.”

“Alright then.” He waved half heartedly and walked the dozen paces through the bathroom door. Leaving Thrawn typing away on his datapad.


End file.
